Best Video Game Stories

Games have come a long way from the Atari days. We have witnessed an immense evolution in both graphics and presentation. The trick is to nail both of these areas but that doesn’t always happen. Today we want to take a look at a few of our favorite video games that pulled us into their world with the art of story telling. This is done correctly by creating deep and colorful characters coupled with terrific voice casting and finally a thrilling plot with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Join BootHammer as we pick our nominees for Best Video Game Stories of this generation.

The Walking Dead – The living will have to survive the relentless hunger of zombies in this game based on The Walking Dead, the widely acclaimed comic book series and television series. Across five dark and emotional episodes of gameplay, every decision and action you take can result in the entire story of the game changing around you. Play as Lee Everett, a convicted criminal, who has been given a second chance at life in a world devastated by the undead. With corpses returning to life and survivors stopping at nothing to maintain their own safety, protecting an orphaned girl named Clementine may offer him redemption in a world gone to hell. Telltale Games has created an amazing collection of episodes that really draw gamers in to this dark gritty world where survival is never guaranteed and every decision and action has consequences giving the game a tremendous replay value. Fans of the genre and show alike should not miss this one.

The Last of Us – An extremely cinematic, story driven game that pulls you into the intense and violent world Naughty Dog has created for The Last of Us. The current pandemic in place will force players to do the unthinkable in this game. To live another day you must kill for food, weapons and supplies. Tomorrow is anything but promised here. Chaos reigns supreme where the infected run wild. The Last of Us is a perfect example of how a video game can rival any blockbuster movie in terms of depth, emotion and impact felt by their audience.

God of War III – Being an avid fan of anything set in the realm of Greek mythology, God of War III was one of my all time favorites this generation. It without a doubt had some of the craziest boss fights to date as well. Kratos sets out for revenge against the Gods who have betrayed him. This final chapter has players treading through the intimidating heights of Mt. Olympus and the dark depths of Hell once more to seek revenge on those who have betrayed him. Armed with double-chained blades, players must take on mythology’s darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles throughout his merciless quest to destroy Olympus. This series never looked so good thanks to a new game engine built from the ground up. It made significant strides in giving players the realistic feel of actually being on the battlegrounds. Texture resolutions quadrupled since God of War 2, creating life-like characters, as well as dynamic lighting effects, a robust weapon system, and world-changing scenarios that made this a remarkable adventure.

Dark Souls – From Software brilliantly showed the story of Dark Souls through the artistic worlds and characters, rather than telling it through lots of dialogue and lengthy cut scenes. This method of story telling is rare these days and is pretty amazing to experience. It really connects the gamer with their character, the game’s enemies and all the different environments surrounding them. You are alone and faced with an impossible task, yet with persistence and the ingenious and unique online element, there is hope to be found in this ever dark and unforgiving world.

Written by: Dan Adcock

Avid gamer who enjoys the older nostalgic titles as much as the newest AAA releases. Remakes from the classic 8 and 16 bit era are some my absolute favorite titles. I also enjoy experiencing new IP's on each and every platform, especially when the creators give the game an artistic look and unique presentation never seen before. I've been lucky enough to start out gaming on the NES. Since this rebirth of the industry, I have witnessed the evolution of gaming, both in its incredible growth in overall popularity and as an entertainment medium juggernaut. With the next generation of gaming upon us, there simply hasn't been a better time to be a gamer and I can't wait to experience all that it has to offer.